Now you, too, can blog about USF here

Some of you guys are absolutely prolific with the comments, so I figured you might be interested in this. Karen McAllister, Tampabay.com's audience editor, has this announcement from her Let's Talk blog:

USF fans have have plenty to say about the Bulls. Here's your chance to let everyone know what you and your friends are saying during the season and the photos & video you're taking.

Give us a few paragraphs on who will be the Bulls' most bitter rival this year: e-mail it to me and propose a name for the fan blog. We'll choose the best three or four candidates to be the voices of USF fans during the season. We promise to promote you on our USF page and on tampabay.com -- but no payment included (sorry).

Now, of course, you'd continue to post comments here. We'll link back and forth between the two blogs. USF has one more practice this morning before starting regular game-week preparations on Monday, but first we've got links to share ...

-- Former USF players continue to fight for jobs in the NFL preseason. Running back Andre Hall had a team-high 46 rushing yards for Denver on Friday night, and there were three former Bulls on the field as the Cowboys played the Texans. Veteran Anthony Henry had four tackles and rookie corner Mike Jenkins had two for Dallas, while rookie Ben Moffitt had one assisted tackle for the Texans. If you watch the Bucs game on Saturday night, you should be able to see cornerback Trae Williams, now with the Jaguars.

-- Can't say I've heard of the Demopolis Times in Alabama, but you have to wonder if Nick Saban freelanced this column, which didn't have a byline on it but mentions "Jim Levitt" and the Bulls. The writer calls the Big East championship hunt "The Battle of Who Could Care Less" -- again, fundamentally, it's "couldn't care less." Then there's this: "USF also has the luxury of asking top-caliber athletes to attend a beach-located school with low academic admission standards. That sounds like the recipe for annual championship contention."

-- ESPN.com's Big East blogger, Brian Bennett, was in town Friday and posted three stories, on Matt Grothe, George Selvie and USF's upcoming season. Selvie also got a writeup in Friday's USA Today from writer Jack Carey.

-- Surprising news from Oregon this week, where Justin Roper, who dismantled USF in a dominating Sun Bowl win, was beaten out for the starting quarterback job by Nate Costa, who was injured most of last season. Costa has since re-injured his knee, so Roper could get another shot at a second start.

-- Want to be able to tell your grandkids you were called into action on the field during a college football game? USF is auctioning off the right to retrieve the kickoff tee in next week's season opener against Tennessee-Martin -- remember this is a job occasionally farmed out to ... a dog. The Bulls are also auctioning off the right to "Run with the Bulls" onto the field before the game.

Comments

[Reality]

When the Sp Times needs a usf basketbull blog, let me know!

[RTB]

I wouldn't get to riled about a columnist in Demopolis (wherever that is). Greg's link has probably quadrupled the hits on the article compared to others and his regular 'readership' who, like him, have a very narrow view of the football world.

I think the reply by the reader from Tampa was well done, but if you would like to personally email the author and give your opinion, he can be reached at jeremy.smith@demopolistimes.com.

[Stephen]

I would be upset about the lie he said, he said usf was near the beach, that would be a lie.

[Windbane]

30 minutes isn't far to get to a beach. I'm from Pensacola and the beach there is called "Pensacola Beach" but you have to go through another town to get there and it takes around 20-30 minutes. I still consider that right by a beach.

Our standards, however, aren't any lower than most of other D1 schools. Look at all the academic casualties the basketball team has had.

[Stephen]

Windbane, maybe this year they are not, but there is a reason the Academic side of the school came in and took control and stopped the football administration running rough shot over the admissions process.

[KB]

First we beat Auburn, then a paper in the middle of Tide Country slams our program.

Feeling a little bit threatened up there in Bama land? I think so.

[MA]

Greg, has an opening day depth chart been released yet?

[G.A.]

MA, I think the official depth chart is due Sunday night or Monday ...

[Windbane]

Stephen, fair enough that this year that academic committee has come in and supposedly taken control. For what it's worth, I'm all in favor of low standards for football players because a few athletes getting scholarships isn't hurting anybody. I don't think we have much lower standards than most other schools, whether it's before or after that committee.

We are still very near beaches, and that's a great selling point. Being proud of weather and beaches shouldn't be a negative that some idiot can sling at us anyway. Too bad for Alabama that they barely have a coastline and all the major Universities aren't near it. They are supposed to out recruit us every year anyway, so what should they be worried about?

Oh, right...good point, KB, we beat Auburn and they haven't done that in 6 trys. I'd be worried, too.

[G.A.]

"Roughshod." If this weren't a discussion of an academic nature, I'd probably let it fly ...

[g-man]

Greg, you missed the headline:
"From the Sidelines: A peak at the 2008 season"

Or maybe you were too rushed to "peek" at it.

[Ken]

We get our peeks and our peaks here on Greg's great blog!

[Don Corleone]

“Alex, I’ll take pompous universities living in the past for $500, please”
Answer is “Alabama”.
“What school has been rocked by scandalous coaches, NCAA violations, fired half-dozen coaches in the CJL era, been owned by Auburn, pays a tyrant $4 million per to be 6-6 and lose to Louisiana-Monroe on its home field?”
Correct. “We also would taken school stuck in the antiquated ways of the old Jim Crow South”

[Bubba Gump]

I'll take Thin-Skinned programs for $1,000

Q) This school in Tampa has barely been around for 10 yrs but now thinks that the college football HOF should be moved from South Bend to Fowler Avenue!

A) what is the university of southern florida or is it the univ of north tampa?

[Don Corleone]

EHHHH! I’m sorry; there will be no home version of the game for you as there is no such school as southern florida. Your ignorance is matched only by lack of imagination or your inability beat Auburn. To call your self Bubba Gump, is an insult to ignoramuses.

[chux2]

I think University of North Tampa is the answer to our geographically challenged school. Now, I also think Bulls is rather unimaginative, and aren't there other schools called the Bulls? How about we call them Brahmans, that is unique. And, we could add a color, say Golden. We could call them the Golden Brahmans. Don C., I prefer the term--ignorami, or ignoramae.